Group projects to receive boost from university’s community fund

A befriending service, a group of community litter pickers and a canal boat that hosts storytelling sessions are among those set to benefit from a fund created by the University of Derby to support impactful local projects.

The annual University of Derby Civic Community Fund attracted almost 100 applications from individuals and organisations across Derby and Derbyshire, each proposing a community project or creative business idea designed to make a direct difference locally.

Eleven stand-out projects have now been selected to receive seed funding from the university.

Seed funding provides early-stage capital to validate concepts for those organisations and individuals in their early stages.

Successful applicants will be invited to work closely with researchers and academic experts to develop, profile and share their work within the wider civic community.

They will also be invited to attend the university’s flagship Civic Awards and reception; a prestigious, invite-only event which, this year, will take place this summer at Derby Theatre.

The successful applicants are: All the Water’s a Stage, Building Bridges in the Community, Derbyshire Befriending Service, High Peak Community First Responder Group, Inspire with Kid Karam, SEND Digital Creators Lab, Slow Colour Yard, The Florence Nightingale Community Event, Undercurrents, University Student Mental Health Ambassador programme and WORTH Essentials.

Rhiannon Jones, professor of civic and communities at the University of Derby, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the strong response to this year’s Civic Community Fund, with so many deserving projects applying.

“As part of our Civic University Agreement, we are proud to support local groups with our expertise, and to build lasting partnerships that make a real difference across Derby and Derbyshire.

“We look forward to working with this year’s successful applicants to deliver meaningful impact.”

The Civic Community Fund supports the university’s Civic Agreement, launched in June 2022, by creating new local partnerships and providing support to civic projects that will have a positive impact within the community.

The seed funding initiative – the earliest round of investment a startup raises to turn an idea into a real business – has helped nine organisations to date.

These include Derby-based Bridge the Gap, a community interest company that supports children and young people with their emotional wellbeing.